Bear Berry (Uva Ursi Leaf) Benefits

Here is a berry that I stumbled upon when I was researching more plants and herbs that I wanted to incorporate into my products and for my skin brightening serum. Boy was I impressed with this little guy!

I wanted to do a short blog here on all the benefits I came across for the skin and also the hair. Actually, for the body too! Since I was reading about the benefits that pertained to my business, I also wanted to include the health benefits too. :)

I think I will start with the skin benefits: Bear berry contains arbutin which is a skin brightening property; which evens the skin tone and helps fade dark spots. You may see this ingredient on it's own to purchase and now you know where it comes from! Also included in the skin brightening; it helps with hyperpigmentation and can actually help lighten your skin. By evening out the skin tone, it helps soothe redness, blotchiness and irritations and this is where the anti-inflammatory properties play their role. It also contains antimicrobial properties which are great to minimize breakouts and controlling bacteria. It has UV properties which help shield the skin from the sun and damage it can cause to our skin.

Moving into Hair benefits: We already know it has anti-inflammatory properties and this is wonderful for the scalp. This helps alleviate itchiness, inflammation and dandruff. I think I just may be adding this into my dandruff shampoo that I will be creating soon! Bear berry has natural conditioning properties that helps nourish and moisturize the hair; leaving it healthy and shiny. It also has stimulating properties which are great for the scalp to promote new hair growth; meaning thicker hair and helps prevent thinning. Lastly, the antioxidants that are present in the bear berry help protect the hair from environmental stressors.

Now I am going to throw in the extras for your overall health. Now I am not a health official and you will have to research the best way to ingest the bear berry; whether it is in tea (terrible tasting trust me, needs honey) or in a smoothie or a tincture, or if you make your own capsules, this I leave up to you but here are the benefits: remember that I mentioned bear berry contains arbutin? well this is great for helping maintain a healthy urinary tract. The arbutin may help inhibit the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract and therefore promote a healthy urinary system. It is also known for it's diuretic properties which may help increase urine production and promote the elimination of waste and toxins from the body. This is awesome! We already mentioned anti-inflammatory properties and this can be beneficial for conditions such as arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions. It may also have soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract, potentially helping to reduce inflammation and alleviate discomfort associated with conditions like gastritis or gastric ulcers.

The Antioxidants can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, which can contribute to various health issues. Such antioxidants that are present are: flavonoids and phenolic compounds which breaking down what these can potentially do are: help improve digestion, brain function, and blood sugar levels, as well as protect against blood clots, heart disease, and certain cancers. Regarding the digestion portion, this may help stimulate digestive enzymes, improve nutrient absorption, and promote regular bowel movements. So if you are stuck...may want to give this a try! This was a lot of information for one berry! Let me know what your thoughts are on this and if I left anything out. I would love to hear how you incorporate this into your diet or formulas.